The bald man straightened up, wiping the blood running from his nose with the back of his hand. His eyes, bloodshot with rage, locked onto Takeshi like a rabid dog ready to bite.
The air in the narrow prison corridor still vibrated with the echo of the nearby explosion, but for these two, the outside world no longer existed.
It was just them, in this fucking damp hallway, with the stench of sweat and blood filling the air.
"I was planning to just throw you back in your cell, but now I'm just gonna kill you, you little shit," the bald man growled, his voice rough and trembling with anger.
He spat a reddish glob onto the cracked floor. "You've been lucky so far, but I'm done playing. You ran your mouth one time too many."
Takeshi, short of breath, stepped back, his back brushing against the cold wall. He could still feel the burn from the elbow strike on his forearm, a dull pain pulsing up to his shoulder. But he kept that crooked smile though deep down, he knew things were about to get really ugly.
"Come on then. Show me what you've got, you old sack of shit."
The bald man didn't answer with words. In one smooth motion, he drew the saber hanging from his belt a wide, chipped blade forged to cut clean through flesh. The metal glinted under the dim light of the wall torches, sending a chill up Takeshi's spine.
Fuck. He's getting serious. This isn't a warm-up anymore.
"You're gonna regret opening your mouth," the bald man said, dropping into a low stance, blade pointed toward the ground.
He quickly formed hand signs with his free hand Snake, Tiger, Hare and spat out, "Suiton: Raging Wave!"
Water burst forth from nowhere, condensed from the prison's ambient humidity. A swirling mass of liquid formed around him, then surged straight toward Takeshi.
The already narrow corridor turned into an aquatic trap. Takeshi leapt sideways, barely avoiding the bulk of the wave, but water splashed over his legs, soaking him to the bone and throwing him off balance.
He slipped on the wet floor, landing on one knee. "Shit!" he cursed, springing back up. The bald man gave him no time to recover. He charged, saber raised, and brought the blade down in a vicious downward arc.
Takeshi rolled aside, feeling the wind of the slash brush past his ear. The metal struck the floor with a shrill screech, carving a deep gouge into the stone.
Takeshi counterattacked, aiming a kick at the bald man's exposed knee. But the man pivoted, blocking with his massive forearm. Pain exploded through Takeshi's leg, like he'd kicked a concrete wall.
"You're slow, kid," the bald man sneered, knocking the foot aside with a sharp motion. He followed up with a backhand slash, forcing Takeshi to retreat again, his back to the wall.
This is bad… He's completely overpowering me, Takeshi thought, his heart pounding. His athletic, not overly muscular body made him agile, but against this brute combining raw strength and Suiton it wasn't enough.
He blocked a punch with his forearm, but the impact sent him stumbling back two steps, his bones buzzing with pain.
"Where'd all that arrogance from earlier go? Didn't you say you were gonna kill me?" The bald man burst into a guttural laugh, wiping another streak of blood from his nose.
"You're just a loud-mouthed punk. I've crushed ninjas way tougher than you in this prison. Mei likes you, huh? Too bad she'll get over it when I tell her you slipped on a puddle."
He formed more signs Ox, Dog, Dragon and shouted, "Suiton: Water Projectiles!"
Compressed bullets of water shot from his mouth like rifle rounds.
Takeshi dodged the first, ducked under the second, but the third slammed into his shoulder. The impact felt like a hammer blow, tearing his shirt and leaving a vivid red mark on his skin. He groaned as blood started to flow.
"Bastard!"
He charged back, feinting a punch to the face before aiming for the man's side. His fist drove into the bald man's ribs but the man absorbed it without flinching, retaliating with a brutal elbow strike to Takeshi's sternum.
The air was knocked from his lungs, and he staggered back, gasping. The bald man pressed forward, saber in hand, and slashed diagonally. Takeshi blocked with his arm, but the blade cut into his skin a shallow yet burning wound that sent warm blood streaming down his forearm.
"You're bleeding already, kid?" the bald man mocked, his breathing heavy but controlled. He was serious now precise movements, no wasted energy. "I could cut you in half right now. But I want you to crawl first."
Takeshi spat on the ground, tasting blood in his mouth. He was clearly outmatched. Every block cost him more, his muscles screaming with fatigue. His little training sessions clearly weren't enough.
He tried another counter, a roundhouse kick to the knee, but the bald man anticipated it, blocking with his leg and answering with a horizontal saber slash.
Takeshi jumped back just in time, but stumbled over a rusty pipe lying on the floor an old broken water conduit, probably ripped loose by a previous explosion.
That could be useful, he thought, discreetly grabbing the pipe with one hand and slipping it into his sleeve as he stood back up.
The metal was cold and heavy, about a meter long, bent at one end. He faked a pained grimace to distract the bald man.
"You're not bad, old man. But you're slow as a snail. Come on try to hit me for real."
Veins bulging on his forehead, the bald man charged again.
"You're dead!" he roared, forming rapid signs Rat, Horse, Tiger. "Suiton: Water Prison!"
A bubble of water formed around Takeshi, trapping him inside a liquid sphere and lifting him off the ground. The water was heavy, crushing, stealing his breath. He panicked for a moment, flailing to break the surface, but the bald man maintained the jutsu, a sadistic grin on his face.
"Drown in there, asshole. It's over for you."
Lungs burning, Takeshi focused his chakra into his fists and slammed them into the water prison's wall, infusing chakra to crack it.
The bubble partially burst, allowing him to gulp in a breath of air but the bald man was already upon him, saber raised for the killing blow.
"Die!" the man bellowed, bringing the blade down toward Takeshi's head.
That was the moment. Takeshi feinted left, then pivoted right at the last second. The saber sliced through empty air, and as the bald man lost balance from his momentum, Takeshi pulled the pipe from his sleeve.
He flooded the metal with raw chakra. "Surprise, motherfucker!" Takeshi shouted, hurling the pipe with all his strength at the man's throat.
Caught off guard, the bald man raised his saber to block but the chakra-infused pipe was harder than expected. Metal clashed with a loud clang, and the saber shattered in two.
The bald man's eyes went wide. Too slow.
Takeshi followed through, driving the twisted end of the pipe straight into the man's neck, piercing flesh with a wet, sickening sound.
Blood sprayed everywhere hot and sticky splattering across Takeshi's face. The bald man gargled, hands clawing at the pipe embedded in his throat, eyes bulging in shock.
"Y… you…" he gurgled, blood bubbling at his lips.
Takeshi pushed harder, twisting the pipe to widen the wound. "Yeah. Me. You should've left me the fuck alone."
He yanked the pipe out in one sharp motion, and a jet of arterial blood burst forth, painting the wall red.
The bald man collapsed to his knees, then face-first into a growing pool of his own blood. His body twitched once… twice… then went still.
Takeshi staggered back, panting, the blood-soaked pipe still in his hand. The pain from his injuries his shoulder, arm, ribs hit him all at once, making him grimace.
"Fuck… that was close. That bastard almost had me," he muttered, tossing the pipe to the ground with a metallic clang and wiping the blood from his face with his sleeve.